UK MOT Vehicle Test Reports

Finding a Reliable Used Car - What MOT Data Can Tell You

Every car on UK roads that is more than three years old (4 in Northern Ireland) must pass an annual MOT test carried out by a government-approved garage. The test checks that the vehicle is safe and roadworthy - brakes, lights, tyres, steering, emissions and more.

When a car fails, the tester records exactly what was wrong. When it passes, any concerns that are not serious enough to cause a failure are noted as advisory or minor defects. Over time, this builds up a detailed picture of how reliable a particular make and model actually is in the real world - not in a controlled factory test, but on UK roads, driven by real people. By looking at millions of MOT records across hundreds of makes and models, it becomes possible to answer questions like:

Which cars tend to sail through their MOTs year after year with no issues?
Which models keep coming back with the same recurring faults?
Are there particular age ranges or engine sizes that hold up better than others?

This kind of analysis cuts through manufacturer marketing and gives you something more honest - evidence from the road. Whether you are buying your first car or replacing a family runabout, knowing which vehicles have the best MOT track record is one of the most practical things you can do before handing over your money.

Understanding MOT Pass Results

A vehicle can pass its MOT in several ways, and the distinction matters when assessing reliability.

Advisories

Pass with no issues - the vehicle met all requirements with nothing to note. This is the cleanest outcome.
Pass with advisories - the vehicle passed but the tester noted items that are currently acceptable but deteriorating. Advisories are not failures but they are warnings. Some are routine wear and tear that many owners ignore until the next MOT:
Tyre tread approaching the legal minimum
Windscreen wiper blades smearing or starting to split
Brake discs or pads showing wear but still within limits

These are predictable maintenance items with known replacement cycles. A conscientious owner addresses them promptly; many do not, returning the following year with the same advisory or worse.

Minor Defects

Pass with minor defects - introduced in 2018, minors are similar to advisories but indicate a slightly more defined issue that should be monitored and rectified soon. They do not prevent a pass but should not be ignored. Some advisory and minor items carry more significance than a worn wiper blade:
Oil leaks - minor seep may be noted as an advisory for years before becoming a failure. Left unattended it can indicate underlying engine wear, attract debris, and eventually lead to low oil levels and serious damage.
Shock absorbers - a weakening damper may pass if it has not completely failed, but compromised ride and handling has real safety implications, particularly in emergency stops or on poor road surfaces.
Suspension components - worn bushes or ball joints may pass with an advisory but accelerate wear on tyres and other components.

MOT Pass Summary

What this means for reliability assessment A clean pass is the gold standard. A pass with advisories or minors every year suggests an owner who does the minimum to pass rather than maintaining the vehicle properly. Repeated advisories on the same items across consecutive MOTs are a red flag - the issue is being noted but not addressed. In the reliability scoring used here, vehicles that consistently achieve clean passes score more highly than those that pass with noted defects, even if both technically pass the test.

Use the links on the left hand side to expore detailed reports about car history reliability and possible defects.

Contact: dvsa-mot@pearceful.net

Reports are generated from the DVSA Bulk Data MOT testing data using DuckDB.

This website includes data provided by GOV.UK under (OGL) Open Government Licence v3.0